Leftovers from AnaheimWritten by: Todd RosiakAnaheim, Calif. -- I'll be touching on all the major points, and then some, in the game coverage I did for our print and online sections from MU's 74-66 victory over Kentucky on Thursday.
Here's a few leftover items to tide you over until then...
-- I'm not sure if it was shown on TV, but shortly after Kentucky's Joe Crawford fouled out (following a career peformance, by the way), Dominic James made his way over to the Kentucky bench and spoke to him briefly.
It reminded me a lot of what Ronald Steele did following Alabama's victory over MU in San Diego two years ago, except this time it was a junior consoling a senior who'd just played his last collegiate game.
"He played a heck of a ballgame -- 35 points," James said when asked what he said to Crawford. "I mean, you saw the performance out there, and he put his heart out there on the floor. So out of respect to him and his teammates, I just told him to keep his head up and keep playing the game that he loves."
Crawford, clearly upset afterward about the way things ended, said he appreciated James' gesture.
-- Don't think that players don't learn lessons over the course of the season.
I had a perfect view of Crawford's last three-pointer that pulled Kentucky to within 68-63 with 38.1 seconds left, and in his attempt to defend, James ran up on Crawford, stopped and put both arms straight in the air, taking every precaution not to foul him.
-- Play of the game had to be Lazar Hayward's dunk in the second half.
Running the floor in transition, Hayward took a pass from McNeal in stride and, without slowing down, proceeded to posterize the Wildcats' Derrick Jasper with a one-hander right down the lane that earned some oohs and aahs from the crowd.
Hayward missed a dunk attempt badly late in the first half when the ball appeared to slip out of his hands.
-- MU fans will love hearing, I'm sure, that Tim Higgins was in the house and courtside for MU's game on Thursday.
It'll be interesting to see if he winds up drawing the assignment Saturday for MU-Stanford.
-- MU is 4-0 all-time against Stanford. I'll have a more in-depth look at the Cardinal tomorrow, following the media sessions.
-- My bracket is already blown up, and the first day isn't even over yet. How's everyone else's?
I'm convinced that the more you think you know about college basketball, the worse you do in those things.
http://blogs.jsonline.com/muhoops/archive/2008/03/20/leftovers-from-anaheim.aspx
